From emotions to sustainability, the beauty industry has an array of unique ingredient technologies and innovation resources to drive product development that addresses increasingly mindful shoppers around the world. Jeb Gleason-Allured, Editor in Chief, Global Cosmetic Industry magazine shares insights into mindful beauty ingredient trends for marketers to look out for.
1. Emotional Beauty Technology
As consumers increasingly worry over their already high-stress levels, brands and ingredient firms are developing solutions that can calm and soothe. Beauty innovators are now stepping into the fray to offer technical calming solutions.
Adaptive Care
For example, adaptive botanicals are at the heart of Givaudan Active Beauty’s latest collection, used to regulate the body while connecting beauty and well-being via several cosmetic applications. The Adaptogenes Botanicals Solution range comprises 10 adaptogenetic botanical extracts that work to stimulate the immune system, calm the nervous system, increase oxygen to cells, support cell regeneration and rid the body of metabolic waste.
The extracts include moringa, aloe vera, turmeric, acerola, ashwagandha, reishi, schizandra, gotu kola, panax ginseng and rhodiola. The range is sustainably produced and extracted and can be used in facial care, body care, personal washes, and hair and scalp care to reportedly decrease stress, moisturize and nourish, detoxify, energize, soothe and heal.
Givaudan Active Beauty formulators used the range’s moringa leaves and turmeric to create a 2-in-1 beauty concept. It includes a detoxifying mask, meant to create fresh, radiant skin, and a moringa powder that can be added to beverages such as water, juice or smoothies to enhance the effects of the mask.
The company also generated a concept formulation, the S3D Moodbooster, a day cream featuring cranberry and kendi oil to soothe consumers’ skin and reduce redness, thereby boosting their mood over a period of a month. Givaudan Active Beauty created a pack for the concept, based on recycled raw materials like glass and cotton.
Stress-free Aging
Greentech and Deinove’s anti-aging active, Hebelys, is designed to boost cutaneous architecture whilst maintaining aging skin’s beauty by limiting cell senescence. It is also said to improve skin density and elasticity. New testing has reportedly found that the ingredient also provides emotional benefits such as increasing self-esteem and improving mood states in consumers.
This was substantiated through physiological and psychological tests, performed on subjects aged 60-70 years after use of a Hebelys-containing formulation for 56 days. Subjects reportedly experienced a “well-being effect and … sense of bliss,” according to a company announcement.
Regeneration from the Sea
Sequens’ Glycuron 2.78 (INCI: Alteromonas ferment extract) is a high molecular weight (4 million Da) exopolysaccharide, rich in uronic acid, which is produced via biotechnology. This particular Alteromonas sp. strain was collected in a Mo’orea (French Polynesia) sea lagoon from sea anemone. The material enhances sensory in personal care, addresses skin inflammation and boosts dermo-epidermal cell regeneration. Critically, the supplier also argues that the technology can have a positive impact on users’ emotional state.
2. Clean, Eco-friendly Dominates
Brands seeking to boost their clean beauty and sustainability profiles have more resources than ever at their fingertips, with suppliers at recent events offering numerous strategies for meeting consumer demands for more eco-friendly products.
Fighting the Good Fight
While clean beauty is a massive market opportunity, it also requires extensive defense of the safe synthetics the industry has long offered. Recently, Grant Industries joined Instagram (@grant.industries) to provide science-based insights into the use of materials such as silicones and has partnered with influencers such as @labmuffinbeautyscience who marry social media savvy with sound science to break through the anti-ingredient noise that so often dominates these platforms.
Clean Formulation Tool
Transparency is increasingly critical to beauty consumers but the proliferation of NGO and retailer ingredient lists have created challenges in ensuring formulations and products are compliant. That’s why BASF launched its Ingredient Insider online tool (https://carecreations.basf.us/ingredient-insider), allowing formulators and brands to access the top public chemical lists of clean ingredients in one place.
The platform assists users in selecting ingredients that comply with various industry chemical lists, including EWG’s Skin Deep database, Amazon Chemicals Policy, NPA Illustrative List, Whole Foods list, COSMOS Natural certifications, REACH SIN List, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Red list and many more. Users can select multiple lists to confirm multi-list compliance.
Palm Oil Sustainability
BASF, The Estée Lauder Companies and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil have partnered with Solidaridad to support independent smallholder farmers in Waykanan, Lampung, Indonesia. The program will deliver education and technical support for implementing and maintaining sustainable agricultural practices. In addition, the partnership is designed to get at least one-third of these farmers certified according to the RSPO Smallholder Standard at the end of three years.
Biodegradability Matters
Among the sustainable strategies on display at recent shows was the increased presence of biodegradable materials. Here are a few of the recent launches.
Biodegradable surfactant blend: Pilot Chemical has unveiled its CalBlend PE (INCI: sodium laureth sulfate (and) cocamidopropyl betaine (and) sodium lauryl sulfate (and) cocamide MIPA) biodegradable surfactant and preservative blend offering viscosity and foaming characteristics for personal care, including body wash.
The single-component scrubs are naturally brown and contain no added pigment or dyes. The products are available in spherical shapes for gentle exfoliation and strong visual cue, as well as irregular shapes for more intensive exfoliation.
The company’s Naturesoft 860R, meanwhile, is a natural ultrafine powder derived from rice bran wax that offers oil and dry binding, enhanced texture and a mattifying effect in personal care products requiring a biodegradable solution for achieving a luxurious feel.
Biodegradable film formers: Covestro bio-based, biodegradable film-forming technologies, including Baycusan Eco (INCI: polyurethane-93), a hair fixative agent based on more than 50% renewable feedstock, offers curl retention and frizz control, even in high-humidity environments.
According to the company, it can also offer heat protection at temperatures as high as 330°C. Its conditioning effect purportedly produces smoothness and hair manageability. Baycusan Eco achieves 60% biodegradation in 28 days, per an OECD 301 test.
Covestro’s Baycusan C 1004 (INCI: polyurethane-35) is a film former designed for high-performance sun care that can stand up to water exposure while minimizing the impact on marine ecosystems.
Biodegradable hold: Ashland’s Styleze ES-1 polymer, comprising guar and guar derivatives, reportedly delivers volume, bounce, and defined waves and curls in hair care applications. The material is COSMOS-validated biodegradable, according to the company, and provides style durability and 48-hour humidity resistance in products such as mousse formulations. It also delivers improved foam bloom and stabilization.
No performance trade-off: Critically for any of these technologies, consumers must not lose out on performance when adopting sustainable products. For example, Clariant’s nature-derived ingredients emphasize ISO 16128 and sustainability improvements including biodegradability, compliance with the main Ecolabels and clear improved environmental footprint. This includes Plantasens Flash 80 and Flash 100, which deliver functionality and sensory to applications ranging from body mousses to easy-spreading sun care.
Ingredient Alternatives
In addition to biodegradability, companies displayed ingredients that offer alternatives to conventional materials that may be objectionable to some brands, retailers or consumers.
Talc: For instance, Jojoba Desert has introduced its non-GMO JD Jojoba Silk Like Powder, a talc alternative that provides comparable velvety skin feel, according to the company. The powder comprises JD Jojoba oil and tapioca starch to produce the material’s silky and smooth texture. The oil also offers anti-inflammatory and anti-aging benefits, comprising omega 9 and vitamin E.
CBD: CBD is all the rage but some brands and retailers are reluctant to leap into the market, particularly as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to seek regulatory clarity for the cannabis-sourced (typically hemp) product. That’s why Ashland launched its CB2-Skin patchouli-based biofunctional that purportedly acts similarly to CBD oil for calming, soothing and well-aging properties in skin.
D5: With D5 in the crosshairs of regulators, Shin-Etsu Silicones has developed an alternative for products such as foundations. The solution combines DM-Fluid-2cs (INCI: dimethicone) and DM-Fluid-A-6cs (INCI: dimethicone).
DM-Fluid-2cs is a high-purity volatile silicone that is light to the touch and non-irritating, making it palatable for the eyes and face. DM-Fluid-A-6cs is a non-volatile, low-viscosity dimethyl silicone fluid that is reportedly water-repellent and spreads easily on skin. When combined, the two DMFs match D5 in performance, according to Shin-Etsu.
Alkanolamides: Colonial Chemicals’ ColaTeric HBS is derived from hemp seed oil and can reportedly replace traditional alkanolamides in cleansing applications, helps build viscosity in a variety of surfactant systems, and leaves a luxurious skin feel.
It is PEG-free and can be used in applications including facial cleansers, sulfate-free systems, shampoos, bath gels and soap-based liquid cleansers. The material is grown in soils typically challenging for traditional seed crops and is sustainably harvested.
Silicones: As many suppliers and chemists will point out, silicones offer a unique solution from the industry’s toolbox, which fits well into clean beauty concepts. That hasn’t stopped companies from developing alternatives, particularly in hair care.
For instance, Botanic Innovations has launched broccoli seed oil (INCI: Brassica oleracea italica (broccoli) seed oil) as what it argues is a mild silicone alternative that can be used across applications.
The natural, non-greasy oil comprises more than 45% erucic acid (omega 9) in order to enhance hair’s shine whilst helping to moisturize and tame flyaways and frizz in coarser hair. The oil also contains high levels of beta-carotene, retinol, vitamin E tocopherols and carotenoids; the fatty acids included help to stabilize formulations.
Sustainably grown and harvested in North America, the ingredient is non-GMO and is reportedly 100% natural for a clean label. The company warns that the ingredient has a distinct odor, but that it can be avoided through the use of natural masking or fragrance ingredients, such as cranberry or carrot seed oil.
3. Going Vegan
With the rise of cruelty-free demands, suppliers and brands have worked to deliver new solutions for ethics-focused shoppers.
For instance, Givaudan recently acquired the cosmetics business of AMSilk GmbH, in a move to strengthen the capabilities of its active beauty business. AMSilk’s vegan silk biopolymers are ideal for the changing marketplace and reportedly offer a variety of applications across categories including hair care and skincare, with benefits such as silky touch, anti-pollution and color protection. To date, AMSilk has filed 10 patents for the use of biopolymers in cosmetics applications.
Elementis’ Bentone Luxe WN, meanwhile, is a vegan rheology modifier and emulsifier that enables stable emulsions with a variety of textures. The ingredient reportedly imparts a light feel and helps create a quick break sensation. Bentone Luxe WN was shortlisted for in the Innovation Zone – Functional Ingredients category for the 2019 in-cosmetics Global awards.
Elementis also use Bentone Luxe WN in simplified 98% natural vegan formulations that offered elegant sensory effects, which can benefit anything from thin lotions to rich, buttery creams.
Jojoba Desert’s JD Jojoba Butter Vegan offers silky textures in lip, hair and sun care for vegan consumers. The butter shares the non-sticky texture of the original JD Jojoba Butter, as well as its properties for moisturization, restoration and regeneration. The vegan option contains a high concentration of JD Jojoba Oil, is oil-miscible and is free of preservatives and coloring agents.
Global Cosmetic Industry Magazine is an official media partner of in-cosmetics North America’s 2019 Marketing Trends program.
Want to read the full article? Check out the July/August 2019 digital edition of Global Cosmetic Industry magazine at http://gcimagazine.texterity.com/gcimagazine/july_august_2019.